We'll begin our yoga experience with Pratapana,
Warm-ups that build the sacred fire in the body,
Preparing for Chandra Namaskar,
The salutation to the moon.
Sitting cross-legged,
Place your hands over your knees or thighs.
Inhale,
Lifting the tailbone upward,
Look toward the sky,
Creating a slight arch in the lower spine,
Dog tilt.
Exhale,
Curling the tailbone under,
Bringing the chin toward your chest as you round the spine,
Cat tilt.
Inhale back up,
Lifting the tailbone and head into dog.
Exhale,
Rounding the spine and curving down into cat.
Repeat twice more.
Inhale into dog,
Exhale cat.
Inhale dog,
Exhale cat.
These are the first two movements of the spine.
Now inhale back to neutral spine,
Lifting the left arm upward.
Arch the torso over to your right side,
Creating a C-curve in the spine,
Right hand touching the floor beside you,
Left arm reaching up and over to the right.
Breathe in through the nose,
Out through the mouth,
Releasing stale air from the bottom of the lungs.
Inhale back up to center,
Raising the airborne left arm overhead.
Exhale the arm back down.
Now raise the right arm overhead,
Inhaling,
Lengthen through the spine,
And exhale over to the left side,
Bringing your left hand to the floor,
Enjoying the side stretch.
Repeat two more times,
Lifting,
Breathing,
Arching from side to side.
These are the third and fourth movements of the spine,
Lateral stretches.
Arching first to the right side,
Then the left.
Now inhale back to center.
Prepare for the fifth and sixth movements of the spine,
Rotation.
Inhale bringing your left hand to your right knee,
Right hand placed on the floor behind your back.
Begin to rotate to your right,
Moving first from your lower back,
Then mid-back,
Upper back,
And lastly,
Turn your head to look over your right shoulder.
Pause and breathe,
Inviting the breath to the back body.
Inhale slowly,
Untwisting,
Returning to center.
Now bring the right hand over your left knee,
Lengthening through the spine as you begin the twist to the left.
Left hand touches the floor behind you.
First rotate your low back,
Now twisting further upward to mid-back,
Upper back,
Then head.
Now gaze over your left shoulder,
Breathing deeply.
Fifth and sixth movements of the spine.
Take another breath in,
Untwist,
Return to center.
Repeat once again,
Twisting to both the right and then the left side.
Remember to lengthen the spine first,
Inhale,
And then begin the rotation.
Breathing in and out.
After completing both sides,
Return again to center.
Bringing your hands over your knees or thighs,
Palms facing upward,
Bring the thumb and index fingers together,
Other fingers extended,
Jnana mudra.
This represents the merging of universal and individual consciousness.
Pause,
Breathe.
Receive the six movements of the spine.
Now with the buttocks still on the ground,
Place the feet flat on the floor,
A little further than hip-width apart.
Hands come behind the back.
Begin to windshield wiper your legs from side to side,
Coordinating breath with movement.
As the bent legs flop to the right,
The left hip comes up.
As the legs flop to the left,
The right hip comes up.
Lean into your hands,
Breathing deeply,
Relaxedly,
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth,
Enjoying this hip opener as you begin to loosen up the lower body.
Then gradually slow down the movements,
Coming into a squatting position.
If your knees are sore,
It's fine to keep your buttocks on the floor,
Hands behind your back.
Otherwise,
Lift the buttocks off the floor,
Placing your weight on both feet.
Your internal organs receive a great massage in this excellent posture.
Either bring the hands in prayer position,
Anjali mudra,
In front of the heart,
Or keep the hands on the floor between your feet.
Inhale,
Lengthen through the spine,
Looking up toward the sky.
Exhale,
Round the spine,
Chin coming toward the chest,
Gazing downward toward your navel.
Repeat this several times.
Notice that we have returned to the first two movements of the spine,
This time from a squatting position.
Now prepare for squatting ha breaths by bringing your weight onto your hands and toward the front of your feet.
This pratapana experience really works the legs and the knees.
So if your knees are sore,
Avoid the next warm up.
Instead,
Make your way to a standing position while experiencing the ha breaths.
If your knees are feeling fine,
Look up,
Inhale,
And as you exhale on a ha sound,
Push your hands down into the floor,
Feet still flat on the floor,
Raising the buttocks toward the sky,
Straightening your legs.
Now inhale through the nose,
Return to your squatting position,
Gazing up.
Exhale,
Ha,
Straightening the legs,
Head down,
Buttocks up.
Inhale back to your squat,
Gazing upward.
Repeat many times,
Going as rapidly as you can,
Bringing heat,
Strength,
Flexibility,
And prana,
Energy,
To your whole system.
And remember to go at your own pace.
You might like to go very slowly or much more rapidly.
Next time you straighten the legs on exhalation,
Pause,
Hanging over in a ragdoll position.
Press your right hand into the right thigh,
Your left hand into the left thigh to support your low back as you roll up the spine vertebra by vertebra to a standing position.
Breathe deeply,
Just through the nostrils now,
And notice the effect from the squatting ha breaths.
Now begin a synovial shake of the body,
Turning yourself into a yogic marionette,
Starting with the hands and fingers,
Gently and firmly shake them.
Move up to the wrists,
Elbows,
Shoulders,
Breathing deeply while doing these loose jello-like movements of the body.
This free and easy movement brings synovial,
Life-giving fluid to all the joints of the body.
Continue this shaking movement down the back and into the hips.
Now raise one bent leg,
Shaking the hip,
Knee,
Ankle,
Foot,
And toes.
Notice the balancing posture here.
Place this foot back down and raise the other leg and shake.
Deep breath in and out.
Lower this leg and simply shake the entire body,
Knowing that this vital,
Necessary synovial fluid is streaming throughout your system.
Come to stillness now.
Return to nostril breath.
At your own time,
Bring your body once again down to a seated position to complete our pratapana sequence with moon breaths.
Bring your hands in prayer position in front of the heart,
Anjali mudra.
Inhale through the nostrils,
Exhale the hands down by your side,
Inhale the arms overhead,
Bringing the hands together in prayer position,
And then exhale,
Bringing them back down to the heart.
Repeat three more times,
Sweeping the arms down and circling them up toward the moon to prayer position.
Exhale them down to the heart.
Continue at your own time.
Deep breath in and out through the nostrils.
As you complete the moon breaths,
Take a moment to pause and feel.
